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USA Today reported yesterday
that an inspector general investigation and congressional critics say
that the Federal Railroad Administration, which awarded $8 billion in
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for high speed rail
projects around the country, lacked the technical expertise to choose
projects. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., the ranking member of the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, described the process as
“amateur hour,” according to the paper, and complained that too much
money is dedicated to increasing speeds on existing Amtrak routes. The
Sunlight Reporting Group ran a piece highlighting that a few weeks ago.

While Amtrak
conceded that if benefited from Recovery Act funds without applying for
them directly, private interests also stand to gain. Amtrak operates
on rail owned by private freight companies like CSX and Union Pacific,
both of which lobbied Congress last year
on the Recovery Act. Improvements made to track that Amtrak uses gives
the freight rail companies capital upkeep of their infrastructure
courtesy of taxpayers.

Amtrak is entitled to use the tracks of the private freight companies--the only track Amtrak maintains itself is the
northeast corridor (the only tracks that the passenger railroad
owns). While the freight industry does receive payments from Amtrak as an
incentive to remain on schedule, Amtrak does not contribute to the maintenance of their lines.

Rep.
Corrine Brown, D-Fla., Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads,
Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, has received $48,000 in campaign
contributions so far from CSX for the 2009-2010 election cycle – her
biggest donor for the period. CSX owns a lot of the track that Amtrak
operates on in the Sunshine state. Generally, the freight industry
receives little government money directly and focuses its lobbying on
avoiding government regulation.